Evening (2007) Movie Script
Where's Harris?
Mom?
Mom?
Mom?
Hello?
Hi, Mom.
She keeps saying, "Where's Harris?"
Who's Harris, Mom?
Harris was my first mistake.
Do you remember
your first mistake, Connie?
Mom, you were dreaming, that's all.
Your first mistake is like your first kiss.
You never forget it.
Shh, just rest now, okay?
You've never told us
about somebody named Harris.
I guess I wanted it to be a surprise.
You used to like surprises.
Was he an old boyfriend of yours?
Mine and Buddy's. Buddy loved him, too.
Harris and I killed Buddy.
Mom, what are you talking about?
Nina, she didn't murder anyone.
Mom, look at me, look at me. Try to focus.
Buddy!
Hey, beautiful.
Hey!
I've been on a bus for seven hours.
I'm not even remotely beautiful.
You are never anything but.
It's up to you to stop the wedding,
you know.
Me?
You're Lila's last hope.
I'm not anyone's last hope!
Shh, everything's okay.
Connie, you're such a good mother.
I wasn't much of one myself.
No, you've been
a very good mother, sweetheart.
Oh, fuck off.
Come on, Mom.
I'm nobody's sweetheart.
It was a mistake to name that star after me.
Hi, sweetheart!
Hi.
Honey, are you okay?
Of course I am, it's my wedding.
Come on, I'll show you to your room.
I wasn't expecting anything quite so grand.
It's just a very old dream
my family can't seem to wake up from.
I don't look very Newport, do I?
Honey, you look wonderful.
Where did you get this blouse?
Oh...
You always find the most unusual things.
Come on.
Great dress.
Bride of Dracula.
Well, it's probably better if they're
more afraid of me than I am of them.
Oh, no, my family is not scared of vampires.
They don't have enough blood
to be of interest.
Come on, I'll show you around.
Trouble is, I need a first sentence.
I can't believe that other guy got
"Call me Ishmael" before you did.
I know, it's my luck, right.
But what do you think about this?
"It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times."
No good. No.
I'll keep at it.
So, your family owns this cliff, too?
Mmm-hmm.
Known locally as "the Plunge."
I fully intend to amount to something
despite my advantages.
Hey, look.
Come on, I want you to meet somebody.
Harris.
Buddy.
Buddy, come here.
Hey, the Fish is a wreck,
who's been taking care of her?
Nobody, probably.
Ann, this is my big brother, Harris Arden.
Dr. Harris Arden.
The only one around here
who actually has a job.
I'm not his brother. I'm one of the servants.
No.
I'm Ann Grant.
Prone to inappropriate apparel.
If your family's not going to take
decent care of the Fish,
they should sell her to someone who will.
What's wrong with it?
Mold. Barnacles. The planks are leaking.
Can we still take her out?
Sure.
Hey, Ann, you want to come for a sail?
Oh, I think I have, you know,
bridesmaid things to do.
Watch yourself.
Pippin Fitzgerald,
I didn't even know that he was coming.
Nine is good.
Ann, darling!
Hi, Mrs. W.
Oh, lovely to see you.
Oh.
Ann, dear, it seems that half the people
I've seated together at this reception
are either mortal enemies,
have had disastrous affairs, or both.
I hear you're going to honor us
with a song at the reception.
I don't think anyone's
all that likely to feel honored.
Have you made your selection?
There are some lovely Schubert songs.
That's not really the kind of thing that I do.
I can get through Time After Time
without going flat.
So, what are we gonna do?
Why don't we move
Ellie and Joe Mortimer to table four?
With the Fairfields?
No?
The tennis thing? Summer before last?
Oh, my Lord.
At least one of us has powers of retention.
Ann, did Buddy take you
down to the beach?
Oh, yes. I met Harris.
What are we gonna do
with those Mortimers.
Oh, um...
Here's a card from somebody named Peach.
Peach Howze LaMott.
You know who that is?
Sounds like a stripper.
I don't think Mom knew any strippers.
It's hard to say who Mom knew, isn't it?
What's with this fixation of yours, anyway?
What fixation?
She mentions a couple of names
and suddenly you're Nancy Drew.
Well, she keeps going on
about people we've never heard of.
She says Harris was her only love
and then she tells us
she and Harris killed somebody.
She's not exactly in her right mind,
in case you haven't noticed.
I have a feeling, that's all.
Who was supposed to speak to Lila
about green?
Hi, Ann. It's nice to see you.
I'm sorry, I'm having a dress crisis.
Oh.
It looks better on Ann.
Ann, darling, where ever did you get
those shoes?
Oh, I don't know. The Village somewhere.
You got them in a village?
No, Greenwich Village, in New York City.
Huh.
I think champagne's going to be
beautiful with your hair.
Thank you, Peach.
This is going to be fun.
I can't wait.
What good are words I say to you
You're on, baby.
I don't wanna go on. I wanna go back.
Sorry, no can do.
I made a mistake.
Mistakes are beautiful, baby.
Mistakes are part of the fun.
I'm wearing the wrong dress.
I can't go for a sail in this.
I just think Mom
is trying to tell us something.
I think Mom needs to be left in peace
at this point.
Well. When I'm on my deathbed,
I hereby give you permission
to ask me a question or two about my life.
Nina, if you won't give Mom a break,
how about giving me one?
This is probably not the best time
for us to have a fight.
We don't need to have a fight.
But really, I'm not going to let you
torture Mom anymore.
Not at this point.
Excuse me? Torture her anymore?
Sorry, bad choice of words.
So, I torture Mom, and you make her happy
by getting the husband and the kids
and the big-ass house.
Nina, don't ask me to apologize
for my life again, okay?
Hey, look, here comes your life now.
Ethan won't stop looking at me!
Hey, Luc, why'd the monkey
fall out of the tree?
Why?
Because it was dead.
Come on kids, let's go up
and say hello to Grandma.
Is she dead?
No, honey. She's resting, is all.
She'll be so happy to see you.
Come on, let's go.
You see,
she's just sleeping, is all.
But she'll be dead soon.
Well, she's had a good long life
and she loves you two more than anything.
Can I touch her hand?
Of course you can. Just be very gentle.
What, is it time to go on?
It's nothing, Mom.
Where's my dress?
Shh, just go back to sleep now, okay?
When you were little, you used to cry
whenever I put that dress on.
Do you remember?
It meant you were going out.
I never went very far, though, did I?
I never went for that sail.
I should have.
Oh, I should have gone for that sail.
It's a little early, isn't it?
This is Newport, it starts at noon.
Want one?
No, thank you.
Who's Harris?
Harris. Harris is our old housekeeper's son.
You're joking.
Okay,
this is not our family's summer cottage,
this is our family's summer mansion.
And yeah,
Harris is our old housekeeper's son.
In the summers
when we used to come up here,
Harris and his mother lived
in an apartment off the kitchen.
Really?
Okay,
it's time to shut up and dance.
All right.
If fistfights break out during the reception,
it won't be because no one worried
about the seating arrangements.
Great.
You will turn down that a little bit,
won't you, dear?
Is your suit pressed for this evening?
Mmm-hmm.
And you need a haircut.
What a world, what a life
I'm in love
We'll just feed them and get them to bed
and I'll be back later.
Mommy, Ethan's farting! He's farting!
Chloe, sit down, baby.
Bye.
Get your seatbelts on, kids.
Sobering, isn't it?
Didn't you say something a while ago
about wanting one?
Well, after a bottle of champagne, as I recall.
And in answer to a question from you,
as I recall.
I mean it.
Darling, could we discuss this some time
when my mother isn't dying?
Yeah. Sorry.
It just seems like maybe...
Maybe this is a good time
to talk about some new life.
I know.
Listen. What if I didn't really want to?
I don't mean just for now. I mean
ever.
Honey, it's time to shut up and dance.
How's she doing?
I don't know. Not so good.
We just want to keep her out of pain now.
As much as we can.
She keeps saying strange things.
They do, sometimes, in end stage.
The medication can make them very dreamy.
She's been talking about people
from her past, I guess.
People my sister and I have never heard of.
Well, they might be real people
and they might not be.
You never really know.
So, Mom,
this is all just a dream you're having?
Hello, Harris. How are you?
Hello, Mrs. Wittenborn.
Seriously, Lila is making a big mistake,
don't you think?
It's a little hard to say.
All right, what do you like best about Carl?
Go on, go on. Yeah, go on.
Carl is...
Tall.
But you know, Buddy,
if this is what Lila wants...
No, no, no. This is what Lila thinks
that she's supposed to want.
There's a difference.
Well, maybe not for Lila.
I think...
I think that she should marry Harris.
Do you?
He's the one she's really in love with.
Has been, like,
ever since we were kids, you know?
Is Harris in love with her?
Everyone's in love with Lila,
I'm in love with Lila. Aren't you?
She is one of my best friends.
Right.
So talk to her.
Let's sit the next one out.
What? No, no...
Yeah.
I'm on fire here.
My point exactly.
Hi, Ann.
Hi.
Sis, you know you got the looks
and the brains.
I mean, probably the talent, too.
I don't mind. I'm just mentioning it.
Buddy, why don't you sit down?
There are plenty of virtues left
for the little brother.
You know, stalwart, cheerful,
good in emergencies.
Carl, man, you're so tall.
Thanks.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm.
Ann,
did Lila tell you that Harris was
the first guy that she ever kissed?
I was 15.
I guess I had a thing for older men then.
And Harris has shrapnel from Korea,
right here.
Wrong place at the wrong time.
I'm not a hero or anything like that.
Of course you're a hero.
So Buddy tells me you're a singer.
I sing. I try to sing.
No, no. She's great. She's great.
She's going to sing
at Carnegie Hall one day.
I'll be glad if I can pay my light bill one day.
As I recall, I lured you down to the beach.
You'd gotten into your father's Scotch.
Well, I had to. I mean, I was leaving
for school the next day.
Drunken abandon was my last hope.
You passed out.
Oh, well, all right.
It's time for a full confession.
When you wouldn't kiss me back,
I pretended to pass out.
It was the only thing I could think of to do.
Well, you were very convincing.
And you carried me back up to the house.
And I'm not going to humiliate myself
any further by telling you
how deeply I believed that I was Catherine
and you were Heathcliff.
Harris is a doctor of medicine.
He told me that.
In Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.
Which is where he grew up. He went back
to practice medicine among his own people.
That's very impressive.
Only to Buddy.
Harris, would you consider dancing
with the bride-to-be?
My pleasure.
Ann, Buddy, come on. Let's dance.
I think I'm gonna sit this one out.
Harris served in Korea,
and came back here to practice medicine
in this dying little mill town
where he grew up.
He's like a goddamn knight or something.
He's Lila's only love.
She is about to wreck her goddamn life.
That's enough.
It never seems like enough.
It's enough, trust me.
She keeps talking
about somebody named Harris.
He might have been the love of her life
or might just be a fantasy.
Now, at the very end,
that's who she's talking about.
Nina.
Mmm-hmm?
You seem to be...
Okay.
The love of my life.
I don't know why, you're a mess, but I...
I seem to love you.
Luc, that's so sweet.
Sweet?
I didn't mean it like that.
I love you, too.
I just...
I still need some more time.
Nina, I...
I can't do this much longer.
You know, I can't be
hanging around your mother's deathbed,
wondering if I should even be here or not.
There's something I have to tell you.
I have to tell you, this may be it.
I mean, this may be just me,
all unsure and confused
and messed up.
So if you're hanging in,
waiting for me to metamorphose
into the woman you want,
I've got to tell you,
you might be waiting a long, long time.
Lila, is that you?
I'm fine, Ann.
Open the door, okay?
Honey, what is it?
Nothing. It's nothing.
It can't be nothing.
Just jitters.
Lila, are you sure
you want to go through with this?
So Carl announces, quite proudly
that when he grows up,
he's not going to marry Mum after all.
He's going to marry Jean Harlow.
Well, he's done a lot better
than Jean Harlow, in my humble opinion.
Welcome to the family, Lila.
Thank you.
I hope you know
what you're getting yourself into.
Hear, hear, hear.
Well, I am the very proud father of...
Hey, Sis! Hey, Sis!
You know what you've got, Sis?
You have got a talent for love.
You're like a love genius.
And there's too many statues of generals
and politicians,
and there's not enough statues
of someone like you.
You know.
But in this world, in this world
there's so much of what looks like love,
and sounds like love, and it calls itself love
but it isn't.
It's just people saying and doing
what they think
that they ought to say and do.
And you...
You're the greatest.
You're the greatest.
So here's to love.
And here's to you.
Buddy, how about we put you to bed?
Party's not over is it?
Come on, son.
We were just gonna go
for a little walk, weren't we?
Buddy and me.
A walk would be just exhilarating
right about now.
Excuse me, sir.
...Lila listens to reason.
We've got to talk her out of it.
I guess we would be the ones.
Ann, come here.
Oh!
Buddy, Buddy. How about sitting down?
Yeah. Maybe that's a good idea.
No, no, no.
Hey, beauties.
Buddy.
Why do I feel like he's been this way
since he was about 10?
He didn't actually start drinking
until he was 12.
He's a total disaster, really.
And yet, I seem to love him.
Yeah, I love him, too.
Okay, he's all tucked in.
You've been doing this a long time,
haven't you?
Before he settled down he showed me
the star he picked out for you.
Oh, that.
It's a nice little star.
It is. It's very nice.
It's one of the Seven Sisters.
See? There she is, right there.
This isn't too personal, is it?
No. No, not really.
I met Buddy in college,
and within three weeks
he'd picked me out a star,
he'd declared my flower to be the peony,
my bird to be the swift,
my tree to be the sycamore,
the list goes on.
He was in love with you.
No. No, he was
my best friend's little brother.
But as we would walk around campus
and he'd go on
about how the swift was my bird,
the onyx was my stone,
I finally asked him why he kept doing that
and do you know what he said?
He said he did it
so that I would remember him
whenever I saw peonies and swifts
and sycamores and all that.
As if he just thought
he would disappear one day.
Isn't that sad?
See that star over there?
Where?
The medium-sized,
right there, the one near Orion.
Yes.
Hey.
That's our star.
It's the one we were looking at
when you were a beautiful young girl
kissed by some strange older guy
who had no right to kiss you.
And then after the weekend,
you never saw him again.
I'm supposed to slap you, you know.
Go ahead. You should.
You have such hopes.
But you wear the wrong clothes,
you say the wrong things.
Before you know it,
you can't tell what was your life
and what were your mistakes.
You start to feel
like you're made of wrongness.
What if there were no such thing
as a mistake?
You wouldn't say that
if you'd met my husbands.
I have met them.
Well, you wouldn't say that
if you'd seen me in a maxi skirt.
I have seen you in a maxi skirt.
Who are you?
I'm the night nurse.
You're dressed rather strangely for a nurse,
if you don't mind my saying so.
I don't mind in the slightest.
But you're a real nurse?
I mean, have you had training?
Oh, my, yes. I can do just about anything
you need me to.
Can you tell me where my life went?
I can tell you that your star is Alcyone.
Your stone is the amethyst.
Your bird is the thrush.
No, my bird is the swift.
I'm afraid that's not accurate.
Uh-huh.
Really?
Yes.
Really.
Come in.
You're up.
It's my wedding day.
It's perfect outside.
Isn't it?
Hey. Oh, honey.
There, there.
La, la, la.
Lila, do you really,
really want to marry Carl?
Mmm-hmm.
Honey.
Okay, I'm just gonna say it.
I don't think that you're in love with Carl.
I think you're in love with Harris.
That's ridiculous.
Is it?
I'm not in love with Harris
and Harris is not in love with me.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Do you want to know how I know?
Yeah.
Because I asked him.
You did?
Last night,
in the middle of my rehearsal dinner
I told him that since I was 15,
that I turned down every other guy
who came along who wasn't him.
Who had the bad taste not to be Harris.
I mean, I more or less offered
to sneak out with him and do anything
and everything that he might want me to do.
To be perfectly honest,
I find that impulse understandable.
I don't think I could do half of the things
that I said I could.
I mean, you know, anatomically.
Honey, what exactly did you say?
I humiliated myself.
Completely.
I mean, do you...
Do you understand that?
Do you know what I'm saying?
Yes.
I had to know
if there was a chance for me with Harris.
And I got my answer.
Now I'm going to get married.
Okay, maybe it isn't Harris for you.
But you don't have to marry Carl
if you're not sure.
Just send everybody home?
Tell them that the bride
has changed her mind?
Yes.
I'm 24 years old.
So?
It would kill Carl.
He'd recover.
No. No, he wouldn't. He's not...
He's not the kind of person that would
recover from something like that.
Lila?
Lila, dear, are you up?
Just a minute, Mother.
We've got a lot to do.
I know.
I need you to be a proper bridesmaid.
I need you to be very, very nice to Carl.
Can you do that for me?
Is that what you really and truly
want me to do?
He's a good man
and he'll be a wonderful husband.
Now it's time to hit the deck, dear...
Good morning, Ann.
Good morning.
Well, everything seemed
like a good idea at the time.
One thing led to another.
But now, when I look back on it all.
What do you see?
Waste. Failure.
Only that?
Oh, pretty much.
Why don't you think of a time
when you were happy?
Don't patronize me, please.
Why don't you just close your eyes,
and think of a time when you were happy?
It's best, really
if you choose something ordinary.
An ordinary moment during an ordinary day.
Mommy, I want to go home.
Oh, honey...
Everybody's a critic.
No, I'm a terrible mother.
Connie, sweetheart, I'm so sorry.
Your mommy just can't afford a sitter
today and tonight.
Hey, you know I think
I should take her home.
We got to rehearse, baby.
Give her to me.
I've had three, I know what I'm doing.
Now look here. This is a piano.
And you and me are gonna play it.
And your mama's gonna sing for us.
Here we go.
Time after time
I tell myself that I'm
So lucky to be loving you
Look at Mama.
So lucky
To be the one you run to see
In the evening
When the day is through
What happened to your dress?
What dress would that be?
Hey, Luc.
Hey, Annie.
How's the band?
You know,
working our way up from dumps to dives.
Connie, did you like my song?
I'm Nina, Mom.
Connie went home for a little while.
It wasn't right,
me dragging you around to clubs like that.
Are you okay, Mom?
Are you in much pain?
We should let her rest a little, I think.
I want to stay a minute, okay? Just me.
Don't overtire her.
Yeah, five minutes.
Hey, Mom.
How you doing?
Honey, let's not talk about me.
How are you?
I'm okay.
I'm Nina, right?
Of course you are.
You look a little peaked, frankly.
Let me feel your forehead.
I'm fine, really.
No, you're not fine.
I'm fine enough. I'm not the one who's sick.
You're not the one's who's well.
Can I tell you something?
Of course.
I'm pregnant.
Oh, darling!
That's wonderful.
With Luc. Luc's baby.
Our baby. I haven't told him.
I haven't told anybody.
And, Mom, I don't know what to do.
I can't imagine getting rid of it.
I don't think I could do that.
But I can't exactly imagine
being with Luc all my life, either.
I mean, we've been together three years
and I've never felt sure.
And now I'm two months along.
I'm afraid having the baby would be
something I'd regret for the rest of my life.
And I'm afraid not having the baby would be
something I'd regret for the rest of my life.
A baby is a wonderful thing.
You said Harris was your only love.
That's how I want to feel.
Harris showed me how much it can be.
Yeah, go on.
Will you promise me something?
Tomorrow, after Sis marries
Dwight D. Eisenhower...
Stop that.
...we can drive to New York together,
just you and I,
and we go on a bender, you know.
We hit a million clubs, hang around
with criminals and degenerates.
I sing for criminals and degenerates.
Thursdays through Sundays.
They lose their fascination.
Hey, hey. Look. Look.
Do you think there's a message inside?
Sure, how could there not be?
I'll bet you Carl threw a dozen of them
in the water last night
for Lila to find this morning.
No, it's for us. It's for you and me.
Just you wait.
There'll be a note in there
that says something like,
"Lila, I'll love you forever."
I was thinking more like,
"Whoever finds this bottle
"gets to make three wishes."
So you start thinking of wishes.
And?
It's wine. It's really old wine.
Don't drink it.
Annie, I'm not that far gone.
No, I'm sorry. Of course you're not.
Hi.
Look what I found.
Oh, my God, her Queen of the Night dress.
Do you remember her wearing this?
Just barely.
Whenever I think of Mom
I see her in this dress.
Going off to work.
She loved it so much.
In her masochistic way.
In a real way.
Singing at the occasional wedding
was not what she had in mind.
Do you remember
when she took us to hear Peggy Lee
at the Algonquin?
That was awful.
No, it wasn't.
Mom cried, hard.
Because she was moved.
Because she was sitting there
with two little girls in party dresses
and Peggy Lee was the one
up there on the stage.
Just how unhappy
do you need Mom to have been?
Translation, please?
Let's let it go. We're both exhausted.
No. Let's not let it go.
Great.
All right.
It seems to me that you're counting on Mom
to have been as unfulfilled as you are.
And I'm not going to let you do it.
How dare you?
I'm not going to let you badger her
on her deathbed
about supposed old miseries
that are probably, in fact, just fever dreams.
Who are you to tell me I'm unfulfilled?
Whatever the hell that means.
Okay, so you're fulfilled and I'm not.
The fulfilled one has the career
and the husband
and the house and garden which just
happen to be three towns away from Mom.
Mom needed someone close by.
And cleaning women.
You don't know how frail she's been,
these last few years.
You've just breezed in and out.
Family dinners at least three times a week.
And no more sex
because even if you weren't too tired,
the children would probably hear you.
Stop this!
So I hope you'll understand if I tell you
I don't look at you and say to myself, "Hey,
that's one fulfilled woman over there."
Let's talk about your life then.
Okay. Let's.
You've had four different careers.
Go-go dancing didn't count as a career.
You were going to be a real dancer.
Do you have any idea how hard it was
for me to admit that I was not good enough?
I don't think you really tried, not really.
Luc is your umpteenth boyfriend.
How many, exactly, is umpteen?
And you're about to dump him.
I look at you and I think,
"In five years she'll have a different job
and another new boyfriend,
"and five years after that,
she'll have another new job
"and another new boyfriend."
So?
Nothing gets its hooks into you.
You just drift.
Well, something has.
I'm pregnant.
You are?
Uh-huh.
Sweetheart, sit down.
Two months, Con, I can stand.
A little slip-up.
It can happen to even
the most determined commit-ophobes.
Come on, sit down.
Okay, I'll sit if it will make you any happier.
It will.
You could be a great mother.
You really love your kids, don't you?
More than anything.
Got that.
That doesn't mean
they don't drive me crazy.
It doesn't mean
I don't wonder sometimes if...
I should be a surfer chick
with seven stupid boyfriends.
Got that, too.
Will you not get mad if I say something?
I'll do my best.
If you go on being the bad girl,
if you insist on screwing up everything
and everyone that comes your way,
there's a very real chance
you'll end up alone.
Nina, I'm sorry.
See,
at least I'm not mad.
Hello there.
What am I doing here? Who are you?
I'm the night nurse. Remember?
You said you've met my husbands.
No, I'm afraid I haven't.
I married Ralph Haverford.
He was the best man.
Isn't that strange.
Do you think I took it literally?
That I couldn't say.
I left him on the sidewalk
like a piece of chewing gum.
Some maid of honor, right?
Are you feeling better now?
Then I married Phil, Nina's father.
He had such nice hair.
Nice hair is nice.
Are you married?
Yes, I am.
Do you love him in that crazy way?
We've been married almost 40 years.
I've been married for 40 years.
More than 40. To Harris.
I just haven't seen him the whole time
we've been married.
Well, maybe that's the best way.
Is there anyone special
you'd like me to call?
Oh, Sis.
You nervous?
Yeah, a little.
You look fantastic.
Just breathe.
Yeah, okay. All right.
Peach...
You think maybe Peach and Pip
could be next?
Pip's a little stuffy.
Peach likes stuffy.
Hey. We're on.
And then there's the question of Buddy
for Lizzie.
Do you really think that
everybody in your wedding party
should just marry everybody else?
No. But it would be nice
if my wedding inspired another one.
Ann.
Are you ready, sweetheart?
Yes, ready.
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on."
Are you ready?
I guess so.
...sing Time after Time.
Time after Time.
Hi, everybody. Hi.
When Lila asked me to sing at her wedding,
I told her that I usually only sing
for drunks and tourists.
And we're not tourists.
But she wouldn't take no.
So, Lila, this is for you.
What good are words I say to you
They can't convey to you
What's in my heart
If you could hear instead
The things I've left unsaid
Time after time
I tell myself
That I'm so lucky
To be loving you
So lucky to be
The one you run to see
In the evening
When the day is through
I only know what I know
The passing years will show
You kept my love so young, so new
And time after time
You'll hear me say that I'm
so lucky to be loving
you
Where did you go?
I snuck out. I felt like a fool.
No, you were nothing like a fool.
You were a hero.
You were the hero. I hit most of the notes.
No, honestly, I didn't sound that great.
I don't mind that.
There was something about being up there,
just now, singing that song for Lila.
I don't know.
I've always thought of myself as just sort of
singing into the room, I guess,
but, I mean doing it specifically for her,
it was so different.
You got a gift, kid.
You know, honestly, for the first time,
right now, I feel like
maybe I do.
I want to be good at this, you know?
Not just all right but really, really good.
I want to sing on Mars one day.
If you sing on Mars, I'll shut down
my practice and fly up to see you.
Do you think we need another star for this?
Yeah, I do.
Well, I think it should be close to the one
that you picked out last night.
There's a nice one, just south of it.
Oh.
That's rather modest, don't you think?
Well, there's lots of stars,
this is only our second one.
Hey there.
Whoops. Am I interrupting something?
No, Buddy.
Tonight it's all about love, right?
In all its forms and guises.
Time after time
I tell myself that I'm so lucky
Come on, let's dance.
No, no, all three of us. Come on.
Hey, I've finally had an idea for my novel.
Shoot.
It's about a gangster
who's in love with a rich girl.
Honey, that's The Great Gatsby.
Damn.
Well, in my version, they all get married
and live happily ever after,
and it'll be the fun Great Gatsby.
Why not?
Harris, isn't Ann great?
Yeah, she's okay.
We've been friends since college.
Ann and Lila and me.
Now that Lila's a wife,
it's just Ann and me.
Buddy.
Ann.
Hey, Buddy boy,
maybe it's time to go...
Whoops.
Terribly sorry, old chap.
It's the wine. It's the wine.
Hey, Buddy, come back.
As you were. As you were.
It's just a little battle fatigue.
I'm off to the front line again.
He won't remember that in the morning.
I'm not so sure.
Ann!
Ann Grant! Maid of honor at large!
Now, we don't have to tell you
about the birds and the bees, do we?
Sorry, bad bridesmaid.
Lila, you're perfect.
The carriage awaits.
Mrs. Carl Ross.
Mmm-hmm.
Ann you didn't mention anything,
to anyone, I mean, about this morning.
What?
You know.
The bride's brief bout of hysteria.
Oh, no, of course not.
Good.
I don't want people to get
the wrong impression.
Lila, if you want me to,
I'll take you out of here right now.
I will, I'll do all the talking.
I'll put you in a car
and I'll just drive you away.
Ann.
I'm serious.
It's not too late.
You just say the word and I'll take you away.
Come visit us in Boston, when we get back.
Do you promise?
Sure.
Okay.
I promise.
Well, off I go.
Come here.
Goodbye, Lila.
You know what it's time for now?
The Plunge.
You got it. Come on.
I think I'm going to skip the Plunge.
You can't. It's a tradition.
You don't have to jump, but you do have
to come cheer for the fools who do.
I'm one of the fools.
You'll cheer for me, won't you?
Have you seen Buddy?
Yeah, a while ago, come on.
You know, I'm gonna come in a while,
you go on ahead.
You sure?
Fifteen minutes, tops.
I'll be there.
Okay.
There you are.
I kissed Harris.
I know you did.
The thing is, I'm not that way.
It wouldn't matter if you were.
Oh, yeah. Isn't it pretty to think so?
Hemingway got that line first, the bastard.
Buddy, it's all right...
You know, Lila and I,
we've both always had this sort of
crush on Harris.
You know, Lila's been in love with him
pretty much all her life.
But it wouldn't do for her to,
you know, get involved
with one of the servants.
That's ridiculous.
Not to some people.
Hey, want to see something
really ridiculous?
Okay.
What's this?
It's a note you passed me, junior year.
Introduction to Philosophy.
I can't read it.
No, that's because the ink is so faded,
it says,
"Wittgenstein, Schmittgenstein,
what's for lunch?"
That's it?
Yeah, that's it.
And you brought it to the wedding?
No, no.
I've had it in my pocket for, let's see,
four years now.
What?
Yeah, just jammed it in my pocket
that day in class
and then that night in my dorm room
I took it out, put it on my bureau
with my keys and my loose change
and everything.
And then the next morning,
for some reason,
I put it back in my pocket
with my keys and my loose change.
And I've been carrying it around ever since.
I don't understand.
Yes, you do.
Buddy, you've had a lot to drink.
I'm not even sure of who to be jealous of.
You're not even going to remember this
in the morning.
What if you and I just sang
and laughed together
for the rest of our lives?
What if we had a few goofy kids
who got our jokes
and taught us some new songs, huh?
It wouldn't work.
Not for you.
No, honey, not for me.
I'm sorry.
Can I have the note back?
Come on, Pip!
Pip! Pip! Pip!
You're just in time, I'm next.
What fools we mortals be.
Come on, Peach! Peach is next!
Peach! Peach! Peach!
Ann, hi.
Hey, Ralph, do you think you could help me
keep an eye on Buddy?
I'd rather help you keep an eye on me.
Finally! A girl with some guts!
Whoo-hoo!
Yeah!
Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!
Hey. Could you help me get Buddy to bed.
Ann, will you do something for me?
Forget about Buddy for five minutes.
I would be glad to.
Buddy! Buddy!
Yeah!
Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!
Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!
Buddy!
Hey, Buddy!
Buddy!
Buddy!
Buddy!
Buddy!
Move! Move!
Buddy!
Can you see him?
No, nothing!
Where is he?
Do you see him?
No!
Buddy!
Please, Buddy, be okay.
Buddy!
Please, Buddy, be okay.
Somebody lose something?
Oh, Jesus.
He's up here!
It's kind of salty.
Ow.
You're not a hero. You're pathetic!
Oh, Ann.
Have some guts! Go live your own life!
What? This isn't it?
Write a first line
and then write a second one.
Kiss men if you want to!
Horrify your parents!
Annie?
Be a man!
Just leave me out of it!
Don't carry around some...
Some stupid note I wrote you years ago!
You're not interested in me.
You just have this idea of me.
Have the nerve to admit it, and just
leave me alone.
Hell, I got the note all wet.
Ann! Ann!
Take me out of here, okay?
Okay, where do you want to go?
Somewhere far away from all these people.
Okay. I got it, follow me.
Where are we going?
It's a surprise.
Ann, I just had one more thing...
Just one more thing I wanted to say.
Welcome to my hideout.
Gray's Anatomy?
I've known I've wanted to be a doctor
since I was eight years old.
You are the most serious man I've ever met.
I guess I'm not a lot of fun.
I didn't say you weren't a lot of fun.
Your shirt's all wet.
What's this?
It's just what's in the air.
Has it always been like this?
Oh, yes.
I don't think I like it.
What a night!
Where's Ann?
Where's Harris?
Now there's a pretty sight.
Hey, wild man, time to call it a night.
Oh, my goodness!
What?
Blood. It's all over. Oh, my goodness!
Jesus!
He's breathing.
What happened?
I'll go call a doctor!
Wait, Harris is a doctor!
Where's Harris? Can't be far away.
Harris!
Harris!
Harris!
Harris!
Harris!
We got to get him to a hospital!
Harris!
We can't move him.
Hang on, Buddy, just hang on.
Everything's going to be okay!
He's holding something in his hand.
What is it, Buddy? It's just some gunk.
Wet paper or something.
Let's go, let's go.
Legs, legs, legs.
My God.
Buddy's right, you know.
About what?
About you.
You're brilliant. You're gonna be famous.
Hardly anyone gets to be famous.
You're famous to me.
Hey, Mom.
I found your dress. It's still as beautiful.
It's just like I remember it.
I actually hated you sometimes
when you put on that dress.
And I didn't really understand
until I had Ethan and Chloe. About...
Well, how...
It seems like you break
your children's hearts
no matter what you do.
Whether you sing in clubs at night
or just stay home.
And you start to wonder which mistakes
of yours they're going to forget,
and which ones they'll still be talking about
for years after you're gone.
Um...
I've been meaning to tell you
what I've learned
about how it must have been for you.
And now I'm afraid
I may have waited too long.
So, do you think
you could be your old self again?
It would mean so much to me.
I want you back.
We're in trouble now.
Maybe we should just keep going.
Where could we go from here?
The boat. We could sail to Barbados.
I've never been to Barbados.
See, me neither.
We should probably stop in and say
goodbye to the Wittenborns, though,
since we'll be stealing their boat.
I've got a funny feeling suddenly.
What?
I don't want to go back into that house.
I don't. Not for one minute.
It's just a formality.
Kiss me.
Gladly.
You'll come back for me then?
Yes, ma'am.
Hello?
Hello.
Are you Ann's daughters?
Yeah. I'm Nina.
I'm Constance.
I'm Lila Ross.
I'm an old friend of your mother's.
Hi.
I got a telephone call from her nurse.
She said your mother was very, very ill
so I came right away.
I hope it's not inconvenient.
No, not at all. Come in.
Just up here.
Ann?
Are you an angel? Because frankly,
I don't want any damn angels in here.
Hardly. It's Lila.
Oh, my God!
Oh, gosh.
It's been a long, long time.
Years and years and years.
Mmm-hmm.
Yes.
Lila.
It's terribly hard, being so sick.
I watched Carl go through it.
Is Carl...
Gone.
Seven years now.
Hmm.
We have three children.
Three? I have two. Two girls.
I know. I saw the girls downstairs.
They're so lovely.
Do you still know Harris?
In a Christmas card sort of way.
He met a girl. In Shelburne Falls. A nurse.
Yes, I know.
He wrote me a letter.
Mmm-hmm.
I know.
I thought there'd be so many chances.
There were some.
But not...
No one ever moved me like...
There, there.
La, la, la.
Have you been happy?
At times.
At times I've been very unhappy.
Is that it?
I never expected as much as you did.
I expected so much.
Yes, you did.
And you got so much.
Two bad marriages and
I didn't turn out to be such a great singer.
You sang at my wedding.
A century or two ago.
Oh, yes.
My God, you were wonderful.
You were so beautiful standing up there.
So brave and strong,
and full of hope.
It was nothing.
Well, it was something to me.
I think about it.
My God!
Mmm-hmm.
I still think about it.
Really?
Yeah.
Harris?
Harris!
Ann?
Hi. Hi.
How are you?
Okay. I'm fine.
I can't believe this.
I'm moving to Los Angeles.
We're going back to Shelburne Falls.
We just came in for the weekend,
to see my wife's brother.
That's your son?
Buddy.
Three years old.
Harris.
How about if I introduce you?
Oh, no, no. I've... I've got a plane to catch.
You look great.
So do you.
I have a daughter.
Wonderful.
You still singing?
Not right now.
Why did you stop?
I got married.
And I married Ralph Haverford.
Oh.
And then I had the baby,
and, you know,
one thing just sort of leads to another.
I have to tell you something.
I still know which stars are ours.
Well,
call me.
Call me if you ever get to Los Angeles.
Yeah, sure.
If you ever find yourself in Shelburne Falls...
Oh.
Oh.
You offered to rescue me
from my own wedding.
You remember that?
Yeah.
Not entirely sure what I wanted that day.
Not sure what I should have wanted.
But I have thought about you, singing.
I wish I could sing for you again.
You can't know how much it mattered.
But don't you think at least one of us
should have married Harris.
I think
we did what we needed to do.
Yeah.
I suppose we did.
Can I ask you a question?
Of course.
Who's Harris?
Harris was a boy that your mother dated
a long, long time ago.
Was she in love with him?
We were all in love with Harris.
What happened to him?
He worked with the poor, got married,
had children, became an old man.
I have to ask. I'm sorry, but I have to know.
Do you think Mom made
some sort of terrible mistake back then?
Harris was just a boy, dear.
An unusually attractive one, I'll admit.
But your mother had a whole life.
She had you.
For all the good it did her.
She sang at my wedding.
She raised two girls.
We can't know everything she did.
But, I can assure you, it was a great deal.
Guess my cab is here.
Sorry. She's just been saying strange things.
Mmm.
We're mysterious creatures, aren't we?
And at the end,
so much of it turns out not to matter.
You really think so?
Listen to an old lady.
Hi, Mom.
Hello, sweetheart.
How you feeling?
I feel wonderful.
I don't feel sick at all.
Oh, honey.
You look a little better, too.
I am a little better, I think.
I'm gonna get up. I'm going to make
a big breakfast for everybody.
I think you're being a little too ambitious.
Will do you do something for me?
Anything.
Will you try to be happy?
That's a tall order, Mom.
Will you try not to be scared all the time?
Hmm.
Because
there's no such thing as a mistake.
You get nervous, but...
But you sing anyway.
I'm just going to sleep
for a minute now, okay?
Okay.
Mommy, I want you.
Just a second, Connie.
I want you now!
What is it, honey?
I can't get Barbie into her dress.
Well, she can wait a minute,
don't you think?
No, she needs you right now!
She can't bang on that xylophone thing
when I'm working.
That is so true.
Here, all yours.
I'm making dinner, can you just manage
with Nina for 20 minutes?
I've got a deadline, okay?
Barbie's going to be late.
What is she late for, angel?
Her party, she's going to be late,
she's going to miss everything.
I see the moon and the moon sees me
And the moon sees somebody
I'd want to see
God bless the moon, and God bless me
And God bless the somebody
I'd want to see
God looked down from up above
And he picked you out for me to love
He picked you out from all the rest
'Cause he knew that I loved you
the very best
I see the moon and the moon sees me
And the moon sees somebody
I'd want to see
God bless the moon and God bless me
And God bless the somebody
I'd want to see
Good morning.
Hey.
Sit down.
Thanks.
Guess what.
What?
I'm pregnant.
You're kidding.
Never more serious.
Wow.
Oh, uh...
Are you happy?
Yeah! Are you happy?
I think so.
Yeah, I think I am.
Sit down. Should you sit down?
I'm only two months along, I'm fine.
Oh, my God.
A baby. We're going to have a baby.
Which, frankly, scares the hell out of me.
It'll be great.
Yeah. I'm sure it will, at times.
And at times I'm sure I'll be exhausted
and angry
and think I've made a total mess of my life.
I'll be there.
You will, won't you?
Even if I get confused and strange
and horrible.
Yeah, I'll do my best.
I will, too.
Connie, we're gonna have a baby.
I know. That's great.
I'm...
I'm going to be a father!
You're going to be an aunt!
Girls,
I think you should come upstairs.
I'll be right here.
You will, won't you?
Yeah. Yeah.
That's good. That's very, very good.
Mom?
Mom?
Mom?
Hello?
Hi, Mom.
She keeps saying, "Where's Harris?"
Who's Harris, Mom?
Harris was my first mistake.
Do you remember
your first mistake, Connie?
Mom, you were dreaming, that's all.
Your first mistake is like your first kiss.
You never forget it.
Shh, just rest now, okay?
You've never told us
about somebody named Harris.
I guess I wanted it to be a surprise.
You used to like surprises.
Was he an old boyfriend of yours?
Mine and Buddy's. Buddy loved him, too.
Harris and I killed Buddy.
Mom, what are you talking about?
Nina, she didn't murder anyone.
Mom, look at me, look at me. Try to focus.
Buddy!
Hey, beautiful.
Hey!
I've been on a bus for seven hours.
I'm not even remotely beautiful.
You are never anything but.
It's up to you to stop the wedding,
you know.
Me?
You're Lila's last hope.
I'm not anyone's last hope!
Shh, everything's okay.
Connie, you're such a good mother.
I wasn't much of one myself.
No, you've been
a very good mother, sweetheart.
Oh, fuck off.
Come on, Mom.
I'm nobody's sweetheart.
It was a mistake to name that star after me.
Hi, sweetheart!
Hi.
Honey, are you okay?
Of course I am, it's my wedding.
Come on, I'll show you to your room.
I wasn't expecting anything quite so grand.
It's just a very old dream
my family can't seem to wake up from.
I don't look very Newport, do I?
Honey, you look wonderful.
Where did you get this blouse?
Oh...
You always find the most unusual things.
Come on.
Great dress.
Bride of Dracula.
Well, it's probably better if they're
more afraid of me than I am of them.
Oh, no, my family is not scared of vampires.
They don't have enough blood
to be of interest.
Come on, I'll show you around.
Trouble is, I need a first sentence.
I can't believe that other guy got
"Call me Ishmael" before you did.
I know, it's my luck, right.
But what do you think about this?
"It was the best of times,
it was the worst of times."
No good. No.
I'll keep at it.
So, your family owns this cliff, too?
Mmm-hmm.
Known locally as "the Plunge."
I fully intend to amount to something
despite my advantages.
Hey, look.
Come on, I want you to meet somebody.
Harris.
Buddy.
Buddy, come here.
Hey, the Fish is a wreck,
who's been taking care of her?
Nobody, probably.
Ann, this is my big brother, Harris Arden.
Dr. Harris Arden.
The only one around here
who actually has a job.
I'm not his brother. I'm one of the servants.
No.
I'm Ann Grant.
Prone to inappropriate apparel.
If your family's not going to take
decent care of the Fish,
they should sell her to someone who will.
What's wrong with it?
Mold. Barnacles. The planks are leaking.
Can we still take her out?
Sure.
Hey, Ann, you want to come for a sail?
Oh, I think I have, you know,
bridesmaid things to do.
Watch yourself.
Pippin Fitzgerald,
I didn't even know that he was coming.
Nine is good.
Ann, darling!
Hi, Mrs. W.
Oh, lovely to see you.
Oh.
Ann, dear, it seems that half the people
I've seated together at this reception
are either mortal enemies,
have had disastrous affairs, or both.
I hear you're going to honor us
with a song at the reception.
I don't think anyone's
all that likely to feel honored.
Have you made your selection?
There are some lovely Schubert songs.
That's not really the kind of thing that I do.
I can get through Time After Time
without going flat.
So, what are we gonna do?
Why don't we move
Ellie and Joe Mortimer to table four?
With the Fairfields?
No?
The tennis thing? Summer before last?
Oh, my Lord.
At least one of us has powers of retention.
Ann, did Buddy take you
down to the beach?
Oh, yes. I met Harris.
What are we gonna do
with those Mortimers.
Oh, um...
Here's a card from somebody named Peach.
Peach Howze LaMott.
You know who that is?
Sounds like a stripper.
I don't think Mom knew any strippers.
It's hard to say who Mom knew, isn't it?
What's with this fixation of yours, anyway?
What fixation?
She mentions a couple of names
and suddenly you're Nancy Drew.
Well, she keeps going on
about people we've never heard of.
She says Harris was her only love
and then she tells us
she and Harris killed somebody.
She's not exactly in her right mind,
in case you haven't noticed.
I have a feeling, that's all.
Who was supposed to speak to Lila
about green?
Hi, Ann. It's nice to see you.
I'm sorry, I'm having a dress crisis.
Oh.
It looks better on Ann.
Ann, darling, where ever did you get
those shoes?
Oh, I don't know. The Village somewhere.
You got them in a village?
No, Greenwich Village, in New York City.
Huh.
I think champagne's going to be
beautiful with your hair.
Thank you, Peach.
This is going to be fun.
I can't wait.
What good are words I say to you
You're on, baby.
I don't wanna go on. I wanna go back.
Sorry, no can do.
I made a mistake.
Mistakes are beautiful, baby.
Mistakes are part of the fun.
I'm wearing the wrong dress.
I can't go for a sail in this.
I just think Mom
is trying to tell us something.
I think Mom needs to be left in peace
at this point.
Well. When I'm on my deathbed,
I hereby give you permission
to ask me a question or two about my life.
Nina, if you won't give Mom a break,
how about giving me one?
This is probably not the best time
for us to have a fight.
We don't need to have a fight.
But really, I'm not going to let you
torture Mom anymore.
Not at this point.
Excuse me? Torture her anymore?
Sorry, bad choice of words.
So, I torture Mom, and you make her happy
by getting the husband and the kids
and the big-ass house.
Nina, don't ask me to apologize
for my life again, okay?
Hey, look, here comes your life now.
Ethan won't stop looking at me!
Hey, Luc, why'd the monkey
fall out of the tree?
Why?
Because it was dead.
Come on kids, let's go up
and say hello to Grandma.
Is she dead?
No, honey. She's resting, is all.
She'll be so happy to see you.
Come on, let's go.
You see,
she's just sleeping, is all.
But she'll be dead soon.
Well, she's had a good long life
and she loves you two more than anything.
Can I touch her hand?
Of course you can. Just be very gentle.
What, is it time to go on?
It's nothing, Mom.
Where's my dress?
Shh, just go back to sleep now, okay?
When you were little, you used to cry
whenever I put that dress on.
Do you remember?
It meant you were going out.
I never went very far, though, did I?
I never went for that sail.
I should have.
Oh, I should have gone for that sail.
It's a little early, isn't it?
This is Newport, it starts at noon.
Want one?
No, thank you.
Who's Harris?
Harris. Harris is our old housekeeper's son.
You're joking.
Okay,
this is not our family's summer cottage,
this is our family's summer mansion.
And yeah,
Harris is our old housekeeper's son.
In the summers
when we used to come up here,
Harris and his mother lived
in an apartment off the kitchen.
Really?
Okay,
it's time to shut up and dance.
All right.
If fistfights break out during the reception,
it won't be because no one worried
about the seating arrangements.
Great.
You will turn down that a little bit,
won't you, dear?
Is your suit pressed for this evening?
Mmm-hmm.
And you need a haircut.
What a world, what a life
I'm in love
We'll just feed them and get them to bed
and I'll be back later.
Mommy, Ethan's farting! He's farting!
Chloe, sit down, baby.
Bye.
Get your seatbelts on, kids.
Sobering, isn't it?
Didn't you say something a while ago
about wanting one?
Well, after a bottle of champagne, as I recall.
And in answer to a question from you,
as I recall.
I mean it.
Darling, could we discuss this some time
when my mother isn't dying?
Yeah. Sorry.
It just seems like maybe...
Maybe this is a good time
to talk about some new life.
I know.
Listen. What if I didn't really want to?
I don't mean just for now. I mean
ever.
Honey, it's time to shut up and dance.
How's she doing?
I don't know. Not so good.
We just want to keep her out of pain now.
As much as we can.
She keeps saying strange things.
They do, sometimes, in end stage.
The medication can make them very dreamy.
She's been talking about people
from her past, I guess.
People my sister and I have never heard of.
Well, they might be real people
and they might not be.
You never really know.
So, Mom,
this is all just a dream you're having?
Hello, Harris. How are you?
Hello, Mrs. Wittenborn.
Seriously, Lila is making a big mistake,
don't you think?
It's a little hard to say.
All right, what do you like best about Carl?
Go on, go on. Yeah, go on.
Carl is...
Tall.
But you know, Buddy,
if this is what Lila wants...
No, no, no. This is what Lila thinks
that she's supposed to want.
There's a difference.
Well, maybe not for Lila.
I think...
I think that she should marry Harris.
Do you?
He's the one she's really in love with.
Has been, like,
ever since we were kids, you know?
Is Harris in love with her?
Everyone's in love with Lila,
I'm in love with Lila. Aren't you?
She is one of my best friends.
Right.
So talk to her.
Let's sit the next one out.
What? No, no...
Yeah.
I'm on fire here.
My point exactly.
Hi, Ann.
Hi.
Sis, you know you got the looks
and the brains.
I mean, probably the talent, too.
I don't mind. I'm just mentioning it.
Buddy, why don't you sit down?
There are plenty of virtues left
for the little brother.
You know, stalwart, cheerful,
good in emergencies.
Carl, man, you're so tall.
Thanks.
Oh, yeah.
Hmm.
Ann,
did Lila tell you that Harris was
the first guy that she ever kissed?
I was 15.
I guess I had a thing for older men then.
And Harris has shrapnel from Korea,
right here.
Wrong place at the wrong time.
I'm not a hero or anything like that.
Of course you're a hero.
So Buddy tells me you're a singer.
I sing. I try to sing.
No, no. She's great. She's great.
She's going to sing
at Carnegie Hall one day.
I'll be glad if I can pay my light bill one day.
As I recall, I lured you down to the beach.
You'd gotten into your father's Scotch.
Well, I had to. I mean, I was leaving
for school the next day.
Drunken abandon was my last hope.
You passed out.
Oh, well, all right.
It's time for a full confession.
When you wouldn't kiss me back,
I pretended to pass out.
It was the only thing I could think of to do.
Well, you were very convincing.
And you carried me back up to the house.
And I'm not going to humiliate myself
any further by telling you
how deeply I believed that I was Catherine
and you were Heathcliff.
Harris is a doctor of medicine.
He told me that.
In Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts.
Which is where he grew up. He went back
to practice medicine among his own people.
That's very impressive.
Only to Buddy.
Harris, would you consider dancing
with the bride-to-be?
My pleasure.
Ann, Buddy, come on. Let's dance.
I think I'm gonna sit this one out.
Harris served in Korea,
and came back here to practice medicine
in this dying little mill town
where he grew up.
He's like a goddamn knight or something.
He's Lila's only love.
She is about to wreck her goddamn life.
That's enough.
It never seems like enough.
It's enough, trust me.
She keeps talking
about somebody named Harris.
He might have been the love of her life
or might just be a fantasy.
Now, at the very end,
that's who she's talking about.
Nina.
Mmm-hmm?
You seem to be...
Okay.
The love of my life.
I don't know why, you're a mess, but I...
I seem to love you.
Luc, that's so sweet.
Sweet?
I didn't mean it like that.
I love you, too.
I just...
I still need some more time.
Nina, I...
I can't do this much longer.
You know, I can't be
hanging around your mother's deathbed,
wondering if I should even be here or not.
There's something I have to tell you.
I have to tell you, this may be it.
I mean, this may be just me,
all unsure and confused
and messed up.
So if you're hanging in,
waiting for me to metamorphose
into the woman you want,
I've got to tell you,
you might be waiting a long, long time.
Lila, is that you?
I'm fine, Ann.
Open the door, okay?
Honey, what is it?
Nothing. It's nothing.
It can't be nothing.
Just jitters.
Lila, are you sure
you want to go through with this?
So Carl announces, quite proudly
that when he grows up,
he's not going to marry Mum after all.
He's going to marry Jean Harlow.
Well, he's done a lot better
than Jean Harlow, in my humble opinion.
Welcome to the family, Lila.
Thank you.
I hope you know
what you're getting yourself into.
Hear, hear, hear.
Well, I am the very proud father of...
Hey, Sis! Hey, Sis!
You know what you've got, Sis?
You have got a talent for love.
You're like a love genius.
And there's too many statues of generals
and politicians,
and there's not enough statues
of someone like you.
You know.
But in this world, in this world
there's so much of what looks like love,
and sounds like love, and it calls itself love
but it isn't.
It's just people saying and doing
what they think
that they ought to say and do.
And you...
You're the greatest.
You're the greatest.
So here's to love.
And here's to you.
Buddy, how about we put you to bed?
Party's not over is it?
Come on, son.
We were just gonna go
for a little walk, weren't we?
Buddy and me.
A walk would be just exhilarating
right about now.
Excuse me, sir.
...Lila listens to reason.
We've got to talk her out of it.
I guess we would be the ones.
Ann, come here.
Oh!
Buddy, Buddy. How about sitting down?
Yeah. Maybe that's a good idea.
No, no, no.
Hey, beauties.
Buddy.
Why do I feel like he's been this way
since he was about 10?
He didn't actually start drinking
until he was 12.
He's a total disaster, really.
And yet, I seem to love him.
Yeah, I love him, too.
Okay, he's all tucked in.
You've been doing this a long time,
haven't you?
Before he settled down he showed me
the star he picked out for you.
Oh, that.
It's a nice little star.
It is. It's very nice.
It's one of the Seven Sisters.
See? There she is, right there.
This isn't too personal, is it?
No. No, not really.
I met Buddy in college,
and within three weeks
he'd picked me out a star,
he'd declared my flower to be the peony,
my bird to be the swift,
my tree to be the sycamore,
the list goes on.
He was in love with you.
No. No, he was
my best friend's little brother.
But as we would walk around campus
and he'd go on
about how the swift was my bird,
the onyx was my stone,
I finally asked him why he kept doing that
and do you know what he said?
He said he did it
so that I would remember him
whenever I saw peonies and swifts
and sycamores and all that.
As if he just thought
he would disappear one day.
Isn't that sad?
See that star over there?
Where?
The medium-sized,
right there, the one near Orion.
Yes.
Hey.
That's our star.
It's the one we were looking at
when you were a beautiful young girl
kissed by some strange older guy
who had no right to kiss you.
And then after the weekend,
you never saw him again.
I'm supposed to slap you, you know.
Go ahead. You should.
You have such hopes.
But you wear the wrong clothes,
you say the wrong things.
Before you know it,
you can't tell what was your life
and what were your mistakes.
You start to feel
like you're made of wrongness.
What if there were no such thing
as a mistake?
You wouldn't say that
if you'd met my husbands.
I have met them.
Well, you wouldn't say that
if you'd seen me in a maxi skirt.
I have seen you in a maxi skirt.
Who are you?
I'm the night nurse.
You're dressed rather strangely for a nurse,
if you don't mind my saying so.
I don't mind in the slightest.
But you're a real nurse?
I mean, have you had training?
Oh, my, yes. I can do just about anything
you need me to.
Can you tell me where my life went?
I can tell you that your star is Alcyone.
Your stone is the amethyst.
Your bird is the thrush.
No, my bird is the swift.
I'm afraid that's not accurate.
Uh-huh.
Really?
Yes.
Really.
Come in.
You're up.
It's my wedding day.
It's perfect outside.
Isn't it?
Hey. Oh, honey.
There, there.
La, la, la.
Lila, do you really,
really want to marry Carl?
Mmm-hmm.
Honey.
Okay, I'm just gonna say it.
I don't think that you're in love with Carl.
I think you're in love with Harris.
That's ridiculous.
Is it?
I'm not in love with Harris
and Harris is not in love with me.
Are you sure?
Yes.
Do you want to know how I know?
Yeah.
Because I asked him.
You did?
Last night,
in the middle of my rehearsal dinner
I told him that since I was 15,
that I turned down every other guy
who came along who wasn't him.
Who had the bad taste not to be Harris.
I mean, I more or less offered
to sneak out with him and do anything
and everything that he might want me to do.
To be perfectly honest,
I find that impulse understandable.
I don't think I could do half of the things
that I said I could.
I mean, you know, anatomically.
Honey, what exactly did you say?
I humiliated myself.
Completely.
I mean, do you...
Do you understand that?
Do you know what I'm saying?
Yes.
I had to know
if there was a chance for me with Harris.
And I got my answer.
Now I'm going to get married.
Okay, maybe it isn't Harris for you.
But you don't have to marry Carl
if you're not sure.
Just send everybody home?
Tell them that the bride
has changed her mind?
Yes.
I'm 24 years old.
So?
It would kill Carl.
He'd recover.
No. No, he wouldn't. He's not...
He's not the kind of person that would
recover from something like that.
Lila?
Lila, dear, are you up?
Just a minute, Mother.
We've got a lot to do.
I know.
I need you to be a proper bridesmaid.
I need you to be very, very nice to Carl.
Can you do that for me?
Is that what you really and truly
want me to do?
He's a good man
and he'll be a wonderful husband.
Now it's time to hit the deck, dear...
Good morning, Ann.
Good morning.
Well, everything seemed
like a good idea at the time.
One thing led to another.
But now, when I look back on it all.
What do you see?
Waste. Failure.
Only that?
Oh, pretty much.
Why don't you think of a time
when you were happy?
Don't patronize me, please.
Why don't you just close your eyes,
and think of a time when you were happy?
It's best, really
if you choose something ordinary.
An ordinary moment during an ordinary day.
Mommy, I want to go home.
Oh, honey...
Everybody's a critic.
No, I'm a terrible mother.
Connie, sweetheart, I'm so sorry.
Your mommy just can't afford a sitter
today and tonight.
Hey, you know I think
I should take her home.
We got to rehearse, baby.
Give her to me.
I've had three, I know what I'm doing.
Now look here. This is a piano.
And you and me are gonna play it.
And your mama's gonna sing for us.
Here we go.
Time after time
I tell myself that I'm
So lucky to be loving you
Look at Mama.
So lucky
To be the one you run to see
In the evening
When the day is through
What happened to your dress?
What dress would that be?
Hey, Luc.
Hey, Annie.
How's the band?
You know,
working our way up from dumps to dives.
Connie, did you like my song?
I'm Nina, Mom.
Connie went home for a little while.
It wasn't right,
me dragging you around to clubs like that.
Are you okay, Mom?
Are you in much pain?
We should let her rest a little, I think.
I want to stay a minute, okay? Just me.
Don't overtire her.
Yeah, five minutes.
Hey, Mom.
How you doing?
Honey, let's not talk about me.
How are you?
I'm okay.
I'm Nina, right?
Of course you are.
You look a little peaked, frankly.
Let me feel your forehead.
I'm fine, really.
No, you're not fine.
I'm fine enough. I'm not the one who's sick.
You're not the one's who's well.
Can I tell you something?
Of course.
I'm pregnant.
Oh, darling!
That's wonderful.
With Luc. Luc's baby.
Our baby. I haven't told him.
I haven't told anybody.
And, Mom, I don't know what to do.
I can't imagine getting rid of it.
I don't think I could do that.
But I can't exactly imagine
being with Luc all my life, either.
I mean, we've been together three years
and I've never felt sure.
And now I'm two months along.
I'm afraid having the baby would be
something I'd regret for the rest of my life.
And I'm afraid not having the baby would be
something I'd regret for the rest of my life.
A baby is a wonderful thing.
You said Harris was your only love.
That's how I want to feel.
Harris showed me how much it can be.
Yeah, go on.
Will you promise me something?
Tomorrow, after Sis marries
Dwight D. Eisenhower...
Stop that.
...we can drive to New York together,
just you and I,
and we go on a bender, you know.
We hit a million clubs, hang around
with criminals and degenerates.
I sing for criminals and degenerates.
Thursdays through Sundays.
They lose their fascination.
Hey, hey. Look. Look.
Do you think there's a message inside?
Sure, how could there not be?
I'll bet you Carl threw a dozen of them
in the water last night
for Lila to find this morning.
No, it's for us. It's for you and me.
Just you wait.
There'll be a note in there
that says something like,
"Lila, I'll love you forever."
I was thinking more like,
"Whoever finds this bottle
"gets to make three wishes."
So you start thinking of wishes.
And?
It's wine. It's really old wine.
Don't drink it.
Annie, I'm not that far gone.
No, I'm sorry. Of course you're not.
Hi.
Look what I found.
Oh, my God, her Queen of the Night dress.
Do you remember her wearing this?
Just barely.
Whenever I think of Mom
I see her in this dress.
Going off to work.
She loved it so much.
In her masochistic way.
In a real way.
Singing at the occasional wedding
was not what she had in mind.
Do you remember
when she took us to hear Peggy Lee
at the Algonquin?
That was awful.
No, it wasn't.
Mom cried, hard.
Because she was moved.
Because she was sitting there
with two little girls in party dresses
and Peggy Lee was the one
up there on the stage.
Just how unhappy
do you need Mom to have been?
Translation, please?
Let's let it go. We're both exhausted.
No. Let's not let it go.
Great.
All right.
It seems to me that you're counting on Mom
to have been as unfulfilled as you are.
And I'm not going to let you do it.
How dare you?
I'm not going to let you badger her
on her deathbed
about supposed old miseries
that are probably, in fact, just fever dreams.
Who are you to tell me I'm unfulfilled?
Whatever the hell that means.
Okay, so you're fulfilled and I'm not.
The fulfilled one has the career
and the husband
and the house and garden which just
happen to be three towns away from Mom.
Mom needed someone close by.
And cleaning women.
You don't know how frail she's been,
these last few years.
You've just breezed in and out.
Family dinners at least three times a week.
And no more sex
because even if you weren't too tired,
the children would probably hear you.
Stop this!
So I hope you'll understand if I tell you
I don't look at you and say to myself, "Hey,
that's one fulfilled woman over there."
Let's talk about your life then.
Okay. Let's.
You've had four different careers.
Go-go dancing didn't count as a career.
You were going to be a real dancer.
Do you have any idea how hard it was
for me to admit that I was not good enough?
I don't think you really tried, not really.
Luc is your umpteenth boyfriend.
How many, exactly, is umpteen?
And you're about to dump him.
I look at you and I think,
"In five years she'll have a different job
and another new boyfriend,
"and five years after that,
she'll have another new job
"and another new boyfriend."
So?
Nothing gets its hooks into you.
You just drift.
Well, something has.
I'm pregnant.
You are?
Uh-huh.
Sweetheart, sit down.
Two months, Con, I can stand.
A little slip-up.
It can happen to even
the most determined commit-ophobes.
Come on, sit down.
Okay, I'll sit if it will make you any happier.
It will.
You could be a great mother.
You really love your kids, don't you?
More than anything.
Got that.
That doesn't mean
they don't drive me crazy.
It doesn't mean
I don't wonder sometimes if...
I should be a surfer chick
with seven stupid boyfriends.
Got that, too.
Will you not get mad if I say something?
I'll do my best.
If you go on being the bad girl,
if you insist on screwing up everything
and everyone that comes your way,
there's a very real chance
you'll end up alone.
Nina, I'm sorry.
See,
at least I'm not mad.
Hello there.
What am I doing here? Who are you?
I'm the night nurse. Remember?
You said you've met my husbands.
No, I'm afraid I haven't.
I married Ralph Haverford.
He was the best man.
Isn't that strange.
Do you think I took it literally?
That I couldn't say.
I left him on the sidewalk
like a piece of chewing gum.
Some maid of honor, right?
Are you feeling better now?
Then I married Phil, Nina's father.
He had such nice hair.
Nice hair is nice.
Are you married?
Yes, I am.
Do you love him in that crazy way?
We've been married almost 40 years.
I've been married for 40 years.
More than 40. To Harris.
I just haven't seen him the whole time
we've been married.
Well, maybe that's the best way.
Is there anyone special
you'd like me to call?
Oh, Sis.
You nervous?
Yeah, a little.
You look fantastic.
Just breathe.
Yeah, okay. All right.
Peach...
You think maybe Peach and Pip
could be next?
Pip's a little stuffy.
Peach likes stuffy.
Hey. We're on.
And then there's the question of Buddy
for Lizzie.
Do you really think that
everybody in your wedding party
should just marry everybody else?
No. But it would be nice
if my wedding inspired another one.
Ann.
Are you ready, sweetheart?
Yes, ready.
"We are such stuff as dreams are made on."
Are you ready?
I guess so.
...sing Time after Time.
Time after Time.
Hi, everybody. Hi.
When Lila asked me to sing at her wedding,
I told her that I usually only sing
for drunks and tourists.
And we're not tourists.
But she wouldn't take no.
So, Lila, this is for you.
What good are words I say to you
They can't convey to you
What's in my heart
If you could hear instead
The things I've left unsaid
Time after time
I tell myself
That I'm so lucky
To be loving you
So lucky to be
The one you run to see
In the evening
When the day is through
I only know what I know
The passing years will show
You kept my love so young, so new
And time after time
You'll hear me say that I'm
so lucky to be loving
you
Where did you go?
I snuck out. I felt like a fool.
No, you were nothing like a fool.
You were a hero.
You were the hero. I hit most of the notes.
No, honestly, I didn't sound that great.
I don't mind that.
There was something about being up there,
just now, singing that song for Lila.
I don't know.
I've always thought of myself as just sort of
singing into the room, I guess,
but, I mean doing it specifically for her,
it was so different.
You got a gift, kid.
You know, honestly, for the first time,
right now, I feel like
maybe I do.
I want to be good at this, you know?
Not just all right but really, really good.
I want to sing on Mars one day.
If you sing on Mars, I'll shut down
my practice and fly up to see you.
Do you think we need another star for this?
Yeah, I do.
Well, I think it should be close to the one
that you picked out last night.
There's a nice one, just south of it.
Oh.
That's rather modest, don't you think?
Well, there's lots of stars,
this is only our second one.
Hey there.
Whoops. Am I interrupting something?
No, Buddy.
Tonight it's all about love, right?
In all its forms and guises.
Time after time
I tell myself that I'm so lucky
Come on, let's dance.
No, no, all three of us. Come on.
Hey, I've finally had an idea for my novel.
Shoot.
It's about a gangster
who's in love with a rich girl.
Honey, that's The Great Gatsby.
Damn.
Well, in my version, they all get married
and live happily ever after,
and it'll be the fun Great Gatsby.
Why not?
Harris, isn't Ann great?
Yeah, she's okay.
We've been friends since college.
Ann and Lila and me.
Now that Lila's a wife,
it's just Ann and me.
Buddy.
Ann.
Hey, Buddy boy,
maybe it's time to go...
Whoops.
Terribly sorry, old chap.
It's the wine. It's the wine.
Hey, Buddy, come back.
As you were. As you were.
It's just a little battle fatigue.
I'm off to the front line again.
He won't remember that in the morning.
I'm not so sure.
Ann!
Ann Grant! Maid of honor at large!
Now, we don't have to tell you
about the birds and the bees, do we?
Sorry, bad bridesmaid.
Lila, you're perfect.
The carriage awaits.
Mrs. Carl Ross.
Mmm-hmm.
Ann you didn't mention anything,
to anyone, I mean, about this morning.
What?
You know.
The bride's brief bout of hysteria.
Oh, no, of course not.
Good.
I don't want people to get
the wrong impression.
Lila, if you want me to,
I'll take you out of here right now.
I will, I'll do all the talking.
I'll put you in a car
and I'll just drive you away.
Ann.
I'm serious.
It's not too late.
You just say the word and I'll take you away.
Come visit us in Boston, when we get back.
Do you promise?
Sure.
Okay.
I promise.
Well, off I go.
Come here.
Goodbye, Lila.
You know what it's time for now?
The Plunge.
You got it. Come on.
I think I'm going to skip the Plunge.
You can't. It's a tradition.
You don't have to jump, but you do have
to come cheer for the fools who do.
I'm one of the fools.
You'll cheer for me, won't you?
Have you seen Buddy?
Yeah, a while ago, come on.
You know, I'm gonna come in a while,
you go on ahead.
You sure?
Fifteen minutes, tops.
I'll be there.
Okay.
There you are.
I kissed Harris.
I know you did.
The thing is, I'm not that way.
It wouldn't matter if you were.
Oh, yeah. Isn't it pretty to think so?
Hemingway got that line first, the bastard.
Buddy, it's all right...
You know, Lila and I,
we've both always had this sort of
crush on Harris.
You know, Lila's been in love with him
pretty much all her life.
But it wouldn't do for her to,
you know, get involved
with one of the servants.
That's ridiculous.
Not to some people.
Hey, want to see something
really ridiculous?
Okay.
What's this?
It's a note you passed me, junior year.
Introduction to Philosophy.
I can't read it.
No, that's because the ink is so faded,
it says,
"Wittgenstein, Schmittgenstein,
what's for lunch?"
That's it?
Yeah, that's it.
And you brought it to the wedding?
No, no.
I've had it in my pocket for, let's see,
four years now.
What?
Yeah, just jammed it in my pocket
that day in class
and then that night in my dorm room
I took it out, put it on my bureau
with my keys and my loose change
and everything.
And then the next morning,
for some reason,
I put it back in my pocket
with my keys and my loose change.
And I've been carrying it around ever since.
I don't understand.
Yes, you do.
Buddy, you've had a lot to drink.
I'm not even sure of who to be jealous of.
You're not even going to remember this
in the morning.
What if you and I just sang
and laughed together
for the rest of our lives?
What if we had a few goofy kids
who got our jokes
and taught us some new songs, huh?
It wouldn't work.
Not for you.
No, honey, not for me.
I'm sorry.
Can I have the note back?
Come on, Pip!
Pip! Pip! Pip!
You're just in time, I'm next.
What fools we mortals be.
Come on, Peach! Peach is next!
Peach! Peach! Peach!
Ann, hi.
Hey, Ralph, do you think you could help me
keep an eye on Buddy?
I'd rather help you keep an eye on me.
Finally! A girl with some guts!
Whoo-hoo!
Yeah!
Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!
Hey. Could you help me get Buddy to bed.
Ann, will you do something for me?
Forget about Buddy for five minutes.
I would be glad to.
Buddy! Buddy!
Yeah!
Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!
Buddy! Buddy! Buddy!
Buddy!
Hey, Buddy!
Buddy!
Buddy!
Buddy!
Buddy!
Move! Move!
Buddy!
Can you see him?
No, nothing!
Where is he?
Do you see him?
No!
Buddy!
Please, Buddy, be okay.
Buddy!
Please, Buddy, be okay.
Somebody lose something?
Oh, Jesus.
He's up here!
It's kind of salty.
Ow.
You're not a hero. You're pathetic!
Oh, Ann.
Have some guts! Go live your own life!
What? This isn't it?
Write a first line
and then write a second one.
Kiss men if you want to!
Horrify your parents!
Annie?
Be a man!
Just leave me out of it!
Don't carry around some...
Some stupid note I wrote you years ago!
You're not interested in me.
You just have this idea of me.
Have the nerve to admit it, and just
leave me alone.
Hell, I got the note all wet.
Ann! Ann!
Take me out of here, okay?
Okay, where do you want to go?
Somewhere far away from all these people.
Okay. I got it, follow me.
Where are we going?
It's a surprise.
Ann, I just had one more thing...
Just one more thing I wanted to say.
Welcome to my hideout.
Gray's Anatomy?
I've known I've wanted to be a doctor
since I was eight years old.
You are the most serious man I've ever met.
I guess I'm not a lot of fun.
I didn't say you weren't a lot of fun.
Your shirt's all wet.
What's this?
It's just what's in the air.
Has it always been like this?
Oh, yes.
I don't think I like it.
What a night!
Where's Ann?
Where's Harris?
Now there's a pretty sight.
Hey, wild man, time to call it a night.
Oh, my goodness!
What?
Blood. It's all over. Oh, my goodness!
Jesus!
He's breathing.
What happened?
I'll go call a doctor!
Wait, Harris is a doctor!
Where's Harris? Can't be far away.
Harris!
Harris!
Harris!
Harris!
Harris!
We got to get him to a hospital!
Harris!
We can't move him.
Hang on, Buddy, just hang on.
Everything's going to be okay!
He's holding something in his hand.
What is it, Buddy? It's just some gunk.
Wet paper or something.
Let's go, let's go.
Legs, legs, legs.
My God.
Buddy's right, you know.
About what?
About you.
You're brilliant. You're gonna be famous.
Hardly anyone gets to be famous.
You're famous to me.
Hey, Mom.
I found your dress. It's still as beautiful.
It's just like I remember it.
I actually hated you sometimes
when you put on that dress.
And I didn't really understand
until I had Ethan and Chloe. About...
Well, how...
It seems like you break
your children's hearts
no matter what you do.
Whether you sing in clubs at night
or just stay home.
And you start to wonder which mistakes
of yours they're going to forget,
and which ones they'll still be talking about
for years after you're gone.
Um...
I've been meaning to tell you
what I've learned
about how it must have been for you.
And now I'm afraid
I may have waited too long.
So, do you think
you could be your old self again?
It would mean so much to me.
I want you back.
We're in trouble now.
Maybe we should just keep going.
Where could we go from here?
The boat. We could sail to Barbados.
I've never been to Barbados.
See, me neither.
We should probably stop in and say
goodbye to the Wittenborns, though,
since we'll be stealing their boat.
I've got a funny feeling suddenly.
What?
I don't want to go back into that house.
I don't. Not for one minute.
It's just a formality.
Kiss me.
Gladly.
You'll come back for me then?
Yes, ma'am.
Hello?
Hello.
Are you Ann's daughters?
Yeah. I'm Nina.
I'm Constance.
I'm Lila Ross.
I'm an old friend of your mother's.
Hi.
I got a telephone call from her nurse.
She said your mother was very, very ill
so I came right away.
I hope it's not inconvenient.
No, not at all. Come in.
Just up here.
Ann?
Are you an angel? Because frankly,
I don't want any damn angels in here.
Hardly. It's Lila.
Oh, my God!
Oh, gosh.
It's been a long, long time.
Years and years and years.
Mmm-hmm.
Yes.
Lila.
It's terribly hard, being so sick.
I watched Carl go through it.
Is Carl...
Gone.
Seven years now.
Hmm.
We have three children.
Three? I have two. Two girls.
I know. I saw the girls downstairs.
They're so lovely.
Do you still know Harris?
In a Christmas card sort of way.
He met a girl. In Shelburne Falls. A nurse.
Yes, I know.
He wrote me a letter.
Mmm-hmm.
I know.
I thought there'd be so many chances.
There were some.
But not...
No one ever moved me like...
There, there.
La, la, la.
Have you been happy?
At times.
At times I've been very unhappy.
Is that it?
I never expected as much as you did.
I expected so much.
Yes, you did.
And you got so much.
Two bad marriages and
I didn't turn out to be such a great singer.
You sang at my wedding.
A century or two ago.
Oh, yes.
My God, you were wonderful.
You were so beautiful standing up there.
So brave and strong,
and full of hope.
It was nothing.
Well, it was something to me.
I think about it.
My God!
Mmm-hmm.
I still think about it.
Really?
Yeah.
Harris?
Harris!
Ann?
Hi. Hi.
How are you?
Okay. I'm fine.
I can't believe this.
I'm moving to Los Angeles.
We're going back to Shelburne Falls.
We just came in for the weekend,
to see my wife's brother.
That's your son?
Buddy.
Three years old.
Harris.
How about if I introduce you?
Oh, no, no. I've... I've got a plane to catch.
You look great.
So do you.
I have a daughter.
Wonderful.
You still singing?
Not right now.
Why did you stop?
I got married.
And I married Ralph Haverford.
Oh.
And then I had the baby,
and, you know,
one thing just sort of leads to another.
I have to tell you something.
I still know which stars are ours.
Well,
call me.
Call me if you ever get to Los Angeles.
Yeah, sure.
If you ever find yourself in Shelburne Falls...
Oh.
Oh.
You offered to rescue me
from my own wedding.
You remember that?
Yeah.
Not entirely sure what I wanted that day.
Not sure what I should have wanted.
But I have thought about you, singing.
I wish I could sing for you again.
You can't know how much it mattered.
But don't you think at least one of us
should have married Harris.
I think
we did what we needed to do.
Yeah.
I suppose we did.
Can I ask you a question?
Of course.
Who's Harris?
Harris was a boy that your mother dated
a long, long time ago.
Was she in love with him?
We were all in love with Harris.
What happened to him?
He worked with the poor, got married,
had children, became an old man.
I have to ask. I'm sorry, but I have to know.
Do you think Mom made
some sort of terrible mistake back then?
Harris was just a boy, dear.
An unusually attractive one, I'll admit.
But your mother had a whole life.
She had you.
For all the good it did her.
She sang at my wedding.
She raised two girls.
We can't know everything she did.
But, I can assure you, it was a great deal.
Guess my cab is here.
Sorry. She's just been saying strange things.
Mmm.
We're mysterious creatures, aren't we?
And at the end,
so much of it turns out not to matter.
You really think so?
Listen to an old lady.
Hi, Mom.
Hello, sweetheart.
How you feeling?
I feel wonderful.
I don't feel sick at all.
Oh, honey.
You look a little better, too.
I am a little better, I think.
I'm gonna get up. I'm going to make
a big breakfast for everybody.
I think you're being a little too ambitious.
Will do you do something for me?
Anything.
Will you try to be happy?
That's a tall order, Mom.
Will you try not to be scared all the time?
Hmm.
Because
there's no such thing as a mistake.
You get nervous, but...
But you sing anyway.
I'm just going to sleep
for a minute now, okay?
Okay.
Mommy, I want you.
Just a second, Connie.
I want you now!
What is it, honey?
I can't get Barbie into her dress.
Well, she can wait a minute,
don't you think?
No, she needs you right now!
She can't bang on that xylophone thing
when I'm working.
That is so true.
Here, all yours.
I'm making dinner, can you just manage
with Nina for 20 minutes?
I've got a deadline, okay?
Barbie's going to be late.
What is she late for, angel?
Her party, she's going to be late,
she's going to miss everything.
I see the moon and the moon sees me
And the moon sees somebody
I'd want to see
God bless the moon, and God bless me
And God bless the somebody
I'd want to see
God looked down from up above
And he picked you out for me to love
He picked you out from all the rest
'Cause he knew that I loved you
the very best
I see the moon and the moon sees me
And the moon sees somebody
I'd want to see
God bless the moon and God bless me
And God bless the somebody
I'd want to see
Good morning.
Hey.
Sit down.
Thanks.
Guess what.
What?
I'm pregnant.
You're kidding.
Never more serious.
Wow.
Oh, uh...
Are you happy?
Yeah! Are you happy?
I think so.
Yeah, I think I am.
Sit down. Should you sit down?
I'm only two months along, I'm fine.
Oh, my God.
A baby. We're going to have a baby.
Which, frankly, scares the hell out of me.
It'll be great.
Yeah. I'm sure it will, at times.
And at times I'm sure I'll be exhausted
and angry
and think I've made a total mess of my life.
I'll be there.
You will, won't you?
Even if I get confused and strange
and horrible.
Yeah, I'll do my best.
I will, too.
Connie, we're gonna have a baby.
I know. That's great.
I'm...
I'm going to be a father!
You're going to be an aunt!
Girls,
I think you should come upstairs.
I'll be right here.
You will, won't you?
Yeah. Yeah.
That's good. That's very, very good.